The pandemic as a ‘revelatory crisis’ – the experiences of international students during emergency remote teaching in a postcolonial context

Attainment inequalities exist for ethnic minority students graduating from higher education institutes (HEIs) in the UK. Previous research has investigated the outcomes and experiences of students from ethnic minority backgrounds on health and social care programmes. However, studies exploring ethnic minority speech and language therapy (SLT) students' experiences have only focused on international students and were conducted in Australia. No known studies exploring the experiences of both home-domiciled and international SLT students from ethnic minority backgrounds have been conducted in the UK. To explore the experiences of home-domiciled and international ethnic minority students on a SLT training programme and to identify ways to improve these experiences. All SLT students attending a pre-registration postgraduate course who identified as being from an ethnic minority background were invited to participate. Two focus groups, one for three international students and one for six home students, were conducted. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Three themes were identified that illustrated students' current experiences and how experiences could be improved: (1) feeling an outsider, explores students' sense of belonging in SLT education; (2) finding ways to manage, describes the strategies used by students to cope with their experiences of marginalization, and how adopting these strategies impact on their well-being; and (3) promoting inclusion, explains how the training programme could be modified to improve the experience of ethnic minority students. A better understanding of the experiences of ethnic minority SLT students can help others to support them more effectively. The findings suggest that making changes to SLT training programmes could improve ethnic minority students' outcomes and experiences. These include: more training for staff and students, support groups for ethnic minority students, sharing lived experiences of students and experienced SLTs from ethnic minority backgrounds, and clearer ways of reporting racist incidents. International students would benefit from receiving more information on HEI support services and cultural practices in the UK. What is already known on this subject Previous studies have investigated the experiences of ethnic minority students on a range of HEI programmes, including those for students of physiotherapy and occupational therapy. The only studies investigating the experiences of ethnic minority SLT students are those exploring how international SLT students in Australia can be supported on professional placement. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge This study explores the experiences of home and international SLT students in the UK who identify as being from minority ethnic backgrounds. Findings suggest that these students feel like outsiders, affecting their sense of belonging. The need to find and implement strategies to manage their feelings of marginalization impacts on their well-being. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? The findings suggest measures to promote the inclusion of ethnic minority SLT students to improve their experiences and support their well-being. These include more training for all staff and students and the creation of a 'lived experiences library' where students and experienced SLTs from ethnic minority backgrounds could share positive experiences as well as ways of dealing with challenges. Clearer ways of reporting racist incidents would be beneficial for all students. International students would benefit from receiving more information on HEI support services and cultural practices in the UK. It is important that ethnic minority SLT students are involved in developments that aim to improve their experiences.

International students in the secondary school sector are a particularly vulnerable group due to their age and status as unaccompanied minors. The establishment of friendships is an important component of the adjustment for these students as they transition into their new school environments. This paper presents issues related to friendships, investigated as part of a larger study examining the motivations, expectations and experiences of international students from the People’s Republic of China studying in Australian secondary schools. Data were collected in two phases from 116 international students and 10 teachers using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, and descriptive analyses employed. Because there is a paucity of information about the experiences of international secondary school students, this was an exploratory study that has contributed understanding of the lived experiences of a small group of international students from mainland China. The study identified that expectations regarding the establishment of friendships are not being met, and that international students from China are seeking more opportunities to form relationships with Australian peers. To reduce dissonance between expectations and experiences of studying in Australia, it is recommended that Australian schools work with both international and domestic students to provide authentic opportunities to build peer relationships.

The learning experiences of international students in nursing and midwifery programs: A literature review

BackgroundResearch regarding international female engineering graduate students tends to be aggregated with that about the experiences of international students in the United States or as the struggles of female engineers in engineering disciplines. Therefore, this study was conducted to understand the unique experiences of international female students in U.S. engineering graduate programs.Purpose/HypothesisThis study examined the theoretical intersections of sustainability and liminality in the experiences of international female graduate students in U.S. engineering programs. The study explored the tensions and challenges faced by international female engineering students in navigating engineering graduate programs.Design/MethodUsing qualitative detailed interviews and focus groups conducted with 49 participants, I explored the ways international female engineering students understood the tensions they experienced and developed strategies of persistence in responding to their liminal status within the engineering graduate programs.ResultsThree themes on the practices of sustainability in navigating liminality emerged from the data: constructing inclusion, challenging invisibility, and reengineering professional efficacy. The themes reflect the everyday strategies of survival the students participate in amid the challenging environment of the academic organizations.ConclusionsInternational female engineers in U.S. graduate engineering programs exist in liminal spaces where their identities are continually being challenged. Through reconstructing inclusion, challenging their invisibility, and reengineering professional efficacy, they transform these liminal spaces to their advantage and persist in their struggles with the challenges they experience.

The number of international students has grown at universities in the US. According to the Open Door Report (2020) published by the Institute of International Education, there were 1,075,496 international students in the US. In 2010, there were 723,277 international students in the US, According to the Open Door Report (2010). Many universities are looking to increase the numbers even more as a part of their internationalization efforts. US universities have been providing institutional support for international students' success. However, little effort has been made in improving the support of first-year international students. As the increased speed of international students in the US has slowed down because of the global students' recruiting competition, recruiting first-year international students' academic and social success becomes more important than ever before. This study is conducted based on the realization that there is a specific need for investigation on the institutional support for first-year international students. The study aimed to understand the actual experience of the first-year international students and how they describe the institutional support they received in their first year in the US. The study was guided by Russell and Petrie's model of academic adjustment and used Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) for engaging first-year international students. The guiding question of the study was; What do first-year international students at a mid-sized public university in the South say about the support they receive from their university during their first year? Findings concluded that: Institutions need to (A) build a platform that provides programs and learning opportunities to engage both first-year international students and first-year American students and integrate them into learning opportunities, (B) offer engaging opportunities for the campus community, and (C) provide robust institutional support for academic success. Also, findings show that (D) Providing the institutional support which suits every first-year international student is a challenge, and (E) institutions need to make an effort to study what first-year international students think about current institutional support. --Author's abstract

Over the last 20 years, the number of international students coming to Canada has increased drastically from just over 100,000 in 2000-2001 to well over half a million in the 20202021 academic years (Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE), 2018; El-Assal, 2020; Statista, 2021). According to Global Affairs Canada (2020), in 2018 alone, international students in Canada contributed $22.3 billion to the Canadian economy on tuition, accommodation, and discretionary spending and helped to sustain over 170,000 jobs. Much of the literature has focused on Asian international students – especially from India and China, who make up a combined 56% of the international student body in Canada (El-Assal, 2020). Significantly less is known about African international students, who make up about 9% of the international student body in Canada. This study critically assesses Canada’s approach to and focus on international students as part of overall programs to attract immigrants. Using a qualitative analysis, this study focuses on the immigration and settlement experiences of Black African international students from Ghana and Nigeria living in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) Canada. Semi structured interviews were conducted with Ghanaian (N = 6) and Nigerian (N = 14) international students living in the GTA. Because experiences may defer between male and female, an even number of students who identified as men (N = 10) and identified as women (N = 10) were recruited. The study centred the voices of these Ghanaian and Nigerian international students, adding to the scarce body of knowledge surrounding the topic. The research focused on the ways in which social networks contributed to or diminished acculturative stress; the impact of Canadian immigration policy on the experiences of these students; and the role of race and gender on the immigration experiences of these students. The study resulted in three key finding. First, Ghanaian and Nigerian international students face financial difficulties. They could benefit from additional forms of financial aid, grants, or financial support, although participants identified as female experienced more financial challenges than those identified as male. Second, there is a lack of culturally appropriate support from colleges and universities for Ghanaian and Nigerian international students, which have led some to seek support from their religious institutions, some of which are not equipped to help with mental wellbeing. Lastly, some participants that used educational agents, expressed discontent and frustration with the outcomes, as agencies at times gave them misinformation that led them to enroll in bridging programs when, in fact, this was not necessary. The study provides recommendations that can inform policy change to better support and enhance the experiences of Ghanaian and Nigerian international students in the GTA.

Over the last 20 years, the number of international students coming to Canada has increased drastically from just over 100,000 in 2000-2001 to well over half a million in the 20202021 academic years (Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE), 2018; El-Assal, 2020; Statista, 2021). According to Global Affairs Canada (2020), in 2018 alone, international students in Canada contributed $22.3 billion to the Canadian economy on tuition, accommodation, and discretionary spending and helped to sustain over 170,000 jobs. Much of the literature has focused on Asian international students – especially from India and China, who make up a combined 56% of the international student body in Canada (El-Assal, 2020). Significantly less is known about African international students, who make up about 9% of the international student body in Canada. This study critically assesses Canada’s approach to and focus on international students as part of overall programs to attract immigrants. Using a qualitative analysis, this study focuses on the immigration and settlement experiences of Black African international students from Ghana and Nigeria living in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) Canada. Semi structured interviews were conducted with Ghanaian (N = 6) and Nigerian (N = 14) international students living in the GTA. Because experiences may defer between male and female, an even number of students who identified as men (N = 10) and identified as women (N = 10) were recruited. The study centred the voices of these Ghanaian and Nigerian international students, adding to the scarce body of knowledge surrounding the topic. The research focused on the ways in which social networks contributed to or diminished acculturative stress; the impact of Canadian immigration policy on the experiences of these students; and the role of race and gender on the immigration experiences of these students. The study resulted in three key finding. First, Ghanaian and Nigerian international students face financial difficulties. They could benefit from additional forms of financial aid, grants, or financial support, although participants identified as female experienced more financial challenges than those identified as male. Second, there is a lack of culturally appropriate support from colleges and universities for Ghanaian and Nigerian international students, which have led some to seek support from their religious institutions, some of which are not equipped to help with mental wellbeing. Lastly, some participants that used educational agents, expressed discontent and frustration with the outcomes, as agencies at times gave them misinformation that led them to enroll in bridging programs when, in fact, this was not necessary. The study provides recommendations that can inform policy change to better support and enhance the experiences of Ghanaian and Nigerian international students in the GTA.

There is substantial research about international postgraduate students but little research about their experiences as parents or their children’s experiences. We focus on four postgraduate international students with young children navigating early childhood education and care in New Zealand. A narrative analysis, informed by socio-cultural understandings of learning and post-structuralist understandings of identity, revealed emotional complexities, stress and transformation as parents and children made many transitions. Parents wanted their own culture respected and their host culture decoded. Families experienced tensions around the use of home and host languages as they juggled children’s present and future linguistic needs. Supporting international students in their family identity has positive effects for them, their children and their doctoral studies, and hence for universities. Further research about the experiences of international students who are parents and of their children could assist in the formulation of policies to effect such support.

International students have been a major feature of higher education institutions in Australia, with their recruitment driven primarily by financial rationales. Studies about international students’ experiences mainly present the tensions and challenges that exist, often positioning international students as lacking knowledge and skills or focusing on intra-cultural rather than intercultural experiences. To reframe the conversation about international students’ experiences, this chapter presents what is known about three main dimensions of international students’ experiences: academic, social, and psychological experiences. It focuses on the experiences of international students in Australia, with reference to literature from the United States and the United Kingdom where applicable. There is little evidence of progress in addressing the academic and social needs of international students. We argue that progress cannot be made if we continue to represent the student experience in terms of dichotomies between international and local students, and without a holistic approach across institutional practices.

China is one of the world's largest sources of international students. Recruitment efforts at American universities show that China continues to be targeted by admissions and international enrollment management teams. By prioritizing Chinese nationals, a lack of international student diversity on university campuses in the United States results. The purpose of this qualitative study was threefold: to examine international student diversity at Northeastern University-Seattle; to gain an understanding of the academic and social experiences of Chinese international graduate students; to determine if and how international student diversity impacts the academic and social experiences of this population. This phenomenological qualitative study involved interviews with six Chinese international students to understand their academic and social experiences and the role diversity played in those experiences. The results suggested that Chinese international students at Northeastern University-Seattle 1) believe that diversity exists on campus, 2) find communicating in English to be a constant challenge in academic and social environments, and 3) are satisfied with the accessibility/approachability of faculty and advisors. The findings revealed that international student diversity does not influence the academic and social experiences of Chinese international students, but language diversity does. These findings can benefit administrators, faculty, staff, and advisors who work closely with this population, as well as recruitment and international enrollment management teams who recruit Chinese international students--Author's abstract

This article considers the changing nature of international students’ lived experiences of disadvantage in Australia in the context of their daily practices of social media. Specifically, it first engages with the extant empirical research on social media practices in the migration context which points to the contingent impacts of digital technologies on migrants’ everyday lives. This body of literature suggests the possibility to probe into the lived experiences of migrants and their everyday strategies through a close examination of their activities around social media. Further, this article attends to studies in the Australian international student literature which highlights the interplays of digital technologies and international student agency. An analysis of the studies suggests how the students’ struggles with social exclusion are entangled with their everyday social media practices in a variety of ways. At the same time, the complex roles of social media problematize how we understand international students’ experiences in the host nation and how we could re-conceptualize ‘social exclusion’ and ‘social inclusion’. For that reason, this article calls for more nuanced approaches towards understanding international students’ lived experiences through the multiple ways international students integrate digital media technologies like social media into their everyday lives. Methodologically, digital ethnographic methods are discussed to facilitate such approaches in innovatively revealing the subtlety of international student mobilities and lived experiences in host societies.

The internationalization of higher education in Canada is happening at a rapid pace. One manifestation of internationalization is the increasing enrolment of international students in Canadian institutions. There is little research on international undergraduate students’ experiences from their own perspectives as they adapt to a new educational system in Canada. This research examines how internationalization policies at a university in Western Canada were interpreted and experienced by international undergraduates. Based on interviews with 26 such students from 9 countries, this study shows that students have multiple understandings of internationalization and view internationalization as a positive experience for academic and personal growth. Findings also indicated several persistent problems, including a neoliberal approach that treats internationalization as a marketing strategy, limited internationalization of the curriculum, and gaps between the internationalization policy and the experience of international students. The findings have important implications for providing appropriate support for international students and for internationalization policy in higher education.

This paper examines how the experiences of international graduate students are influenced by the graduate education system applied in higher educational institutions in Japan. It is based on the author's ethnographic study on Indonesian students who studied in Japan from 1991 to 1992. The follow-up studies on the returnees after their study abroad were conducted from 2011 to 2013. The paper is likewise based on the author's work on international students at a Japanese university. This paper studied the experiences of Indonesian graduate students in the Science field with the graduate education system at Japanese universities. It focused on the koza research unit, which usually had the head professor and other faculty members in different ranks and the students in different years. The study found that this koza unit could be described as a

With increasing interests in international student satisfaction and experience, international educators in pursuit of substantial campus changes should not overlook small pieces of data that can help carve substantial pathways to creating campus change. The purpose of this chapter is to showcase what data revealed about international student experiences and how the data were used to drive campus change within an institution. The authors highlight International Student Barometer (ISB) data collected from international undergraduate students at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in 2013 regarding student satisfaction and their overall experience. Then, the authors discuss how multiple available sources of data are sought to compliment ISB data, and how ISB data have been used collaboratively to inform institutional practice and drive campus internationalization for all students.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to achieve a better understanding of the current phenomenon regarding challenges of and potential for increased international recruitment and enhancement of the teaching and learning experience in Thai HE. The focus on what made these people choose Thailand, and their actual perceptions and experiences in Thai universities, are two main foci of this paper.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative approach through narrative interviews was selected as the researchers did not want to constrain this study with preconceived notions that might unduly steer the findings. During the interviews, detailed notes were taken, and the conversations were taped recorded, and then transcribed and analysed. The analytic approach adopted was a thematic analysis. NVivo qualitative data analysis software (QSR International Pty Ltd Version 11, 2017) was used to help organise and analyse the data.FindingsThe findings show that availability of scholarships, word-of-mouth referrals, and geographical and cultural proximity to a home country appear to be important pull factors. A series of interviews with international students from many different cultures, from both developed and developing countries, yielded some surprising insights including strong research support in some disciplines and the fact that academic life is personalised in Thai universities.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings from this study suggested that engaging returnees as ambassadors, creating links between international student community and home student community before, during and after the education abroad experience could potentially help Thai HE to be more marketable at a global scale. International students have potentials to be future contacts for inducing the flow of international students evident by the social network or word-of-mouth referrals as one of the prominent pull factors.Practical implicationsThe findings from this paper provide advice and guidance on how values-based, rather than purely numbers-driven strategies can help Thai HEIs across the country to be more attractive to students and to enhance their experience once they come to study in Thai HEIs.Originality/valueThis study will make an important critique of current theories of academic mobility that primarily focus on developed countries. Current literature in international education favours native English language countries and overlooks experiences of international students in developing countries. This study will contribute to the existing literature which is lacking in reported perceptions and experiences of international students in Asian countries, particularly the new emerging educational hub in Southeast Asia like Thailand. The paper includes experiences of students from developed countries such as Canada, France, Germany, the UK and the USA, filling in the gap in the current literature that dominantly reports experiences of Asian students in the developed English-speaking countries. Additionally, this study also reports the experiences of international students from the countries that are lesser known in the context of international education, including Cambodia, Egypt, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, South Africa, Sudan and Uganda.